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“I met the lieutenant governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted the support letters from the National Conference, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI (M), and independent candidates. I requested him to fix a date so that the elected members can take their oaths and the elected government can start functioning,” said Omar Abdullah.
Omar Abdullah, vice president of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), met with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday (Oct 11), after receiving letters of support from several political parties and independent representatives in the Indian Union Territory. Abdullah submitted these letters during the meeting and asked the lieutenant governor to schedule a date for the swearing-in ceremony.
“I met the lieutenant governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted the support letters from the National Conference, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI (M), and independent candidates. I requested him to fix a date so that the elected members can take their oaths and the elected government can start functioning,” said Omar Abdullah.
Abdullah, who was elected from both Budgam and Ganderbal constituencies in Kashmir, mentioned that the process for the oath ceremony would take some time, as the situation isn’t a straightforward transfer of power between elected governments.
Jammu would not be ‘ignored’ under the new government
“Jammu and Kashmir is now a Union territory, which means Central rule is in place. The lieutenant governor has to prepare the documents and send them to Rashtrapati Bhavan first. From there, they will go to the home ministry. After the home ministry completes its process, the documents will be returned. We have been informed that this will take about two to three days,” he explained.
Abdullah added, “If it happens before Tuesday, we will have the swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.”
He also assured that Jammu would not be “ignored” under the new government. This marks the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since 2018 when the governor’s rule was enforced following the BJP’s decision to withdraw support from then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
It will also be the first government formed after the abrogation of Article 370 and the delimitation of constituencies in the region. In the recent assembly elections, the alliance between the National Conference and the Indian National Congress secured 48 seats.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 29 seats. The elections, the first in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade, took place on September 18, September 25, and October 1.
(With inputs from agencies)
Prapti Upadhayay
Prapti Upadhayay is a New Delhi-based journalist who reports on key news developments across India and global affairs, with a special focus on US politics. When not